


Gifts Lost and Received

by girlnamedlance



Category: Kamen Rider W (Double)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-25
Updated: 2015-01-01
Packaged: 2018-02-18 17:37:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2356835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/girlnamedlance/pseuds/girlnamedlance
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Christmas is a bit rough for Shotaro. It always is for those that have lost someone. But he gained someone too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Shotaro?” Ah, yes, he knew Philip would come looking for him before too long. Unless there had been something exceptional the day before, Shotaro rarely slept in this late. Barring more than moderate injury, or the odd cold or flu, anyway. 

But this was a different kind of injury. One much more slow to heal. One to his heart and soul. Most days out of the year it was a barely-noticeable scar. But one day out of the year, it was raw, angry, and red. Like a mosquito bite way out of season. 

While most of the city was preparing for days surrounded by people they loved, Shotaro was pretending there wasn’t a bunch of things to pull out of storage and start decorating. That was his job for the Narumi Detective Agency Christmas Party, anyway. Akiko was already out picking up the cake and a few other things they’d made reservations for. If Shotaro didn’t at least have the tree up by the time she got back with Terui there was going to be a big problem. 

One he chose to ignore for now. He was warm in his blankets and that was all that mattered. He heard the rattle of the rings on the bar of the curtain that hid the bed. “Shotaro? Are you still in bed?”

Shotaro didn’t move. He hoped he could pretend he was still asleep. He was curled up facing the wall. He didn’t have to try that hard.

“I know you’re awake,” Philip stated simply. Mick’s bulk was obvious in the bed. It was like he was picking up on his master’s curiosity. Shotaro’s surprise at the cold slightly wet nose against his made him twitch. “And that clinches it.”

Beaten, Shotaro reached up to pet the cat. He generally tolerated Shotaro fairly well, so long as he wasn’t trying to separate him from Philip during one of his clingy moods. He did still have scars on his knuckles from when he’d tracked him down following the burning of the Sonozaki mansion. But he was probably still spooked at the time. And if there was another creature that missed Philip as much as he did during that year he was gone, it was this chunky fuzzball. 

But he still didn’t roll over, or make a move to get out of bed. “Shotaro?”

Okay, he couldn’t ignore this any longer. “What time is it?”

“10:47 in the morning,” Philip answered without looking at his watch. “Nearly 4 hours later than you usually remain in bed most mornings.” 

“Yeah,” he answered. He knew that. He still didn’t roll to face his partner. “I couldn’t sleep last night.”

This had become a kind of yearly routine. By now, that was all Philip needed to hear to get an idea of what was going through Shotaro’s head. Only an idea, because even Shotaro couldn’t explain it much. But not much really needed explaining. 

Christmas was a terrible time to lose someone you loved, and those words seemed to come up short in explaining just what Shotaro felt for Sokichi Narumi. It was something Philip could never quite reach, either from researching their lives or from observing the world around him. He had his own interaction with the man, however brief. He was grateful for the chance he’d been given, and respectful of his legacy, but those emotions seemed to pale in the face of Shotaro’s. There were different kinds of love, he knew. What he felt for Mick, for his family, for his partner, between Ryu and Akiko, were all different kinds of love, all wonderful, fulfilling; and thinking of any of them brought a smile to his face. But he had no model for what Shotaro had for Sokichi. This was a mystery that would take a lifetime to unravel.

He toed his boots off and climbed into bed behind Shotaro. He wrapped his arm around his partner’s shoulders and absently scritched at whatever part of Mick he could reach. Mick responded by curling up into a ball in the gap between Shotaro’s chest and the wall. 

Shotaro responded by pressing back into him a bit. Having him here was a wonderful return to routine. No Christmas since the Boss had died had been harder to face than the one when Philip was gone. Akiko had to basically get the office ready for the party on her own, while Shotaro rode aimlessly around the city until he had to show up and act like he wasn’t still in mourning for a partner that had supposedly merely gone away for the elite school program he rightly deserved. That had taken nearly all of his energy. Fortunately, New Year’s had been more merciful. Shotaro was able to spend it working a case so Terui could stay with Akiko and they hosted the Irregulars at his house instead. 

But now, Philip was back. His precious right hand. They didn’t really need to talk about it. They both just knew. Philip knew what Shotaro needed from him right now. He never did well alone. 

They remained like that for a long while. Maybe an hour.

Shotaro finally rolled over to face his partner, eliciting a grumpy growl from Mick. He crawled back over Shotaro and settled in between the partners’ hips. Philip pushed Shotaro’s hair off of where it had stuck to his face. Shotaro found a few other directions to look than directly at Philip.

“Shotaro,” he said lightly. The invitation was there, waiting for him to take it. 

After a moment, they made eye contact, and he did. He leaned forward and kissed Philip, wrapping his arms around him protectively. Philip was only too glad to return it. Mick decided it was time to leave. Philip rolled onto his back and let Shotaro satisfy what he had to get out of his system. 

On the same day he had lost something so very dear to him, he had gained something else very precious. He kissed Philip, letting his hands settle on his. He laid his head on his chest.

“Are you worried about me, partner?” he finally asked.

“Not really,” Philip admitted. And, in truth, he really wasn’t. Shotaro was quite strong, despite his usual habits.

“Close the curtain,” Shotaro told Philip. “Staying here like this with you a while longer is worth getting hit by one of Akiko’s slippers.”

Philip chuckled a bit. “Only if you share the blankets.”

“Deal.” With a modicum of wriggling, they were snuggled into the bed together. Arms and legs twisted up together in a way that would only ever work for them.

Shotaro gave Philip one last light kiss before attempting to doze off again. “Merry Christmas, Philip.”

“Merry Christmas.”


	2. Hopeful New Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And on to the new year for the Narumi Detective Agency, with Philip back, and Shotaro feeling whole once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I probably contradict myself a bit between this chapter and the first. Consider them thematically similar vignettes. Dedicated to my girlfriend that I can't kiss at midnight.

Another Christmas past, and here comes another new year at the Narumi Detective Agency. This time, Shotaro had a lot of reason for a big grin on his face. Philip was back. He had easily the most important person to him back by his side where he belonged.

They had the entire Narumi Detective Agency family there at the office for another party, this one as a countdown for the new year. They had the radio with a variety program on in the background but everyone was more or less entertaining themselves.

“Hey, Shotaro,” Philip said, leaning on his partner’s shoulder.

“Oi, Philip, don’t do that, I’m barely holding myself up.” He wobbled a bit in place under Philip’s weight.

“Sho-chan! Your glass is empty!” Dutifully, Watcherman scampered over to refill the sake cup in his hand. 

“Ah! That’s a good man!” Shotaro raised his glass toward Watcherman and winked sloppily at him.

“Shotaro, you’re drunk!” Philip chuckled at his partner. He wasn’t drinking himself, but watching Shotaro was kind of infectious. 

“Yup!” he said, leaning a bit more on his partner.

“You remember the tradition of kisses at midnight, right?”

Shotaro stared blankly for a moment at his partner. Then the light suddenly turned on. He pointed and shouted at him. “No way!”

“I have chosen to use the atomic clock for the most precise application of this tradition to our present situation. Unfortunately the broadcast delays necessitate slight inaccuracies in timekeeping.” He pointed the face of his watch toward his partner. It was a new one, all sleek and space-age compared to the leather one he usually wore.

“Philip!” he said, his face turning redder. He punctuated his surprise with emptying his glass. 

“Fifteen seconds, Shotaro.”

“Eh? In front of all these people?”

“When else should we make a grand demonstration but in front of people?” He raised a finger to his lip.

“Dammit, you need to stop looking so cute. It’s not fair, you know!”

“Five seconds.”

But the rest of the room was counting with the radio. “Ten… nine…

“Three… two…” and where “one” would be, Philip’s lips captured Shotaro’s.

Elizabeth and Queen squealed in delight. Most of the others in the room were distracted with their own counting and in Akiko and Terui’s case, furious making out. Terui’s hands floated up off his wife’s shoulders. She’d clearly caught him by surprise in much the same way Shotaro had been.

Shotaro returned the kiss, despite himself. “Philip…” he said breathlessly when he finally let him go.

“You taste like sake,” Philip said, reaching up to touch his lips again.

“Hey! You don’t get to complain about what I taste like!”

“Happy new year, Shotaro.”

“Happy new year, partner.”

**Author's Note:**

> I started this when I was in a funk just like this and I found the someone I needed to get me up an living my life. They know who they are. Thanks dear.


End file.
